[Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cell as a source of cell therapy and a pharmacological target for disease treatment.]

Human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells(MSCs)show a multiple biological characteristics including the immunomodulation, tissue regeneration and hematopoiesis-supportive capability. Cell therapy by the use of MSCs has been extensively explored for a variety of diseases. Several tissues/organs are clinically available for a source of MSCs, and isolated cells are culture-expanded and subsequently injected into patients systemically or locally. MSCs organize the tissue/organ environment they reside, and in bone/marrow, MSCs differentiate into osteoblasts(OBs)that contribute to bone remodeling. Intriguingly, cells that are in a differentiation stage between MSCs and OBs show a unique hematopoiesis-supportive capability, thereby pharmacological simulation with parathyroid hormone that skews MSCs towards such cells could be an alternative strategy for disease treatment.